sources at the time.
Routledge quotes a Unionist negotiator summarising differences between Unionists, the SDLP, and Hume in particular: "we are looking at the text, and they are looking at the context." As is typical with so many books of the Troubles, Routledge fails to see the important theological differences in the texts he compares: between Britain being a persuader for a united Ireland or being neutral and facilitating the wishes of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland.
But Routledge provides a readable and racy account of the fascinating life and times of a deeply influential political figure who, with David Trimble, may hold the key to permanent peace in Northern Ireland.

Gary Kent